Second Responders

For nearly four decades, Trauma Intervention Programs (TIP) has quietly shown up during everyday tragedies to provide critical on-scene emotional first aid. Now, in partnership with The Variable, a leading independent agency known for building purpose-driven brands, TIP is launching its first national campaign: Second Responders. The campaign is designed to raise awareness, recruit volunteers, and drive donations to help TIP with its U.S. expansion. The campaign puts the spotlight on the “second response,” the crucial emotional care survivors need once first responders leave the scene.

The Variable was paired with TIP as part of Purpose, Produced, a program created by SixDegrees.org, the national nonprofit founded by actor and philanthropist Kevin Bacon, and Advertising Week, the premier platform for the global marketing, content, technology and media industries. The program paired six hand-selected non-profit organizations with creative agencies for the development of a complete advertising campaign at no cost.

“TIP is one of the most impactful nonprofits most people have never heard of, and this moving campaign by The Variable is going to change that," said Stacy Huston, Executive Director of SixDegrees.org. "That's the power of Purpose, Produced—giving grassroots nonprofits an unprecedented platform and offering world-class agencies the chance to stretch their creative muscles for impact. Purpose, Produced is showing the world that when cause and creativity meet, our shared humanity is on full display."

Anchored by the message “Emotional Rescue Deserves a Response,” the work spans digital, social, and OOH and features a bespoke song written and performed by Jake Rapp, known on TikTok as EmoCop. A first responder who channels trauma into music, Jake’s song serves as the emotional centerpiece of a social storytelling series illustrating the unseen moments of recovery and inviting others to step forward as Second Responders. “As a first responder, I’ve seen firsthand that trauma doesn’t end when the sirens stop. It lingers, for victims, families, and even for us. When The Variable and TIP asked me to be part of this campaign, I knew it mattered. Music has always been how I process emotion, so turning that into a way to help others heal felt like coming full circle.”

“We built a campaign that makes something as overwhelming as emotional trauma feel navigable, giving people a place to start,” said Matt Cook, Chief Creative Officer at The Variable. “It’s a perfect reflection of our approach: find the human truth, create something meaningful, and make it impossible to ignore. This work was designed to educate and move people and to create a new level of impact for TIP.”
The campaign will run nationally, driving audiences to tipnational.org to volunteer, donate, or help bring TIP to their community.